Confirming the in silico results, increased TKS5 mRNA levels were detected with quantitative RNA RT-PCR (Q-RT-PCR) in lung tissue isolated from IPF patients (n = 20), as compared with COPD patients (n = 19) and healthy lung tissue (n = 9) (Supplementary Table 2 and Fig. 1d). This evidence concerns the gene SH3PXD2A and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.